MADERA - As reported by Big Valley News last week, the Madera Unified School District Board of Trustees has fired Superintendent Ed Gonzales without cause. At their closed session meeting last night the board decided to terminate their contract with the superintendent with a unanimous vote.

It was standing room only for supports of the embattled superintendent with many forced to watched the evenings proceedings from a make-shift "Drive-in" theater in the parking lot. Supporters wore hand-written signs on their chests calling Gonzales "Super Ed".

Board president Al Galvez reported, following the closed session, that the board had unanimously voted to terminate Gonzales' contract with the district without cause. However, Gonzales was notified of his firing three days after the last closed session meeting where there was no reportable actions from the board. Galvez says that the board was advised by their attorney that since there was no time-line set in that meeting for the termination, it was not a reportable action

On February 3rd Galvez and fellow board member Ric Arredondo had a meeting with Gonzales where the superintendent was notified he would be terminated at the next meeting. Gonzales requested that be put in writing and it was on Monday February 6th, the same day that Gonzales met with the district office staff after hours and informed them he was being let go.

Galvez said that the board would be meeting next week to plan for the future and decide who would be leading the district at least for the short-term. "I don't know if we will be looking outside of the district or internally." Galvez added.

This is the second time in six years that the MUSD Board has terminated a contract of a superintendent. After the 2010 election of Maria Velarde-Garcia and Lynn Cogdill, Superintendent John Stafford was released from his employment before their first meeting of 2011.

That firing cost the district hundreds of thousands of dollars and left the district in a leadership vacuum until the hiring of Ed Gonzales four years ago. This latest termination will also cost the district at least $350k. Monies that will not be used for the education of Madera's youth.

What is next for the district? Who could possibly want to come to Madera and jump into this mess?